Intelligent refrigerator for storing pharmaceutical product containers

• US 7,775,056 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Lowenstein, Alan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, GEORGE BINH MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/913,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20080184719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 621/27, 622/31, 621/90, 623/31, 236/51, 705/28, 705/29, 705/2, 707/3, 707/10, 340/573.1, 340/10.1, 700/215, 700/299
• US Class Current: 62/127
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/12 Sensors measuring the inside temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Intelligent refrigerator system for storing pharmaceutical product containers, such as vials, ampules, syringes, bottles, medication tubes, blister packs and cartons, at the point of dispensing. Embodiments of the invention use product identification technology, such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and readers, to uniquely identify containers as they are added to or removed from the cold storage compartment of the refrigerator, and automatically retrieve from a local or remote database a variety of details associated with the containers and their contents, such as manufacturing data, expiration dates, time out of refrigeration, inventory levels, safety information, usage statistics, known contraindications and warnings, etc. If the details indicate that there is a problem with a particular pharmaceutical (e.g., that it is counterfeit, expired, suspect, spoiled, recalled or almost depleted), then a message or warning is automatically delivered to a human operator via an attached output device, such as a display screen, speaker or printer. Embodiments of the invention may also be configured to monitor and report temperature faults, power failures and other anomalies associated with the refrigerator or cold storage compartment.

Claims

1. A refrigerator for storing pharmaceutical product containers, comprising:

a cold storage compartment;

a product identifier which will determine a unique identifier produced by a pharmaceutical product container located in the cold storage compartment, the product identifier having a read zone;

a local database;

an interface to a pharmaceutical product database comprising a set of details associated with the unique identifier;

an event monitor, coupled to the product identifier, which will generate an added item event code in response to introducing the pharmaceutical product container into the read zone; and

an event manager which, in response to receiving the added item event code, will

i) if the set of details associated with the unique identifier already exists in the local database, then record the time the pharmaceutical product container was introduced to the read zone,

ii) else, copy the set of details associated with the unique identifier from the pharmaceutical product database to the local database via the interface.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an output device for transmitting information concerning the set of details to a human operator.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein, if the set of details associated with the unique identifier already exists in the local database, then the event manager will calculate a time out of refrigeration value for the pharmaceutical product container based on the time.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein:

the local database includes a time out of refrigeration field; and

the event manager will store the time out of refrigeration value in the time out of refrigeration field.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3, further comprising:

an output device for conveying information to a human operator;

wherein the event manager will transmit a warning to the output device if the time out of refrigeration value exceeds a specified maximum time out of refrigeration.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the event monitor will generate a removed item event code in response to removing the pharmaceutical product container from the read zone; and

in response to receiving the removed item event code, the event manager will record the time the pharmaceutical product container was removed from the read zone.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein:

the local database includes a removal time detail field; and

the event manager will store the time the pharmaceutical product container was removed from the read zone in the removal time detail field.

8. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the event manager will transmit a message concerning the pharmaceutical product container to an output device configured to convey information to a human operator.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the cold storage compartment comprises a temperature sensor that monitors the temperature in the vicinity of the pharmaceutical product container; and

the event monitor will generate a temperature event code in response to a change in the temperature.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein, in response to receiving the temperature event code, the event manager will transmit a message concerning the temperature to an output device configured to convey information to a human operator.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the product identifier comprises:

an antenna that will convert a radio-frequency field produced by a transponder affixed to the pharmaceutical product container into alternating current; and

a radio-frequency identification reader, coupled to the antenna, that will decode the alternating current to determine the unique identifier.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the product identifier comprises a barcode reader that determines the unique identifier by decoding a light energy signal reflected from a barcode label affixed to the pharmaceutical product container.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the product identifier comprises a magnetic stripe reader that detects changes in a magnetic field produced by a magnetic stripe affixed to the pharmaceutical product container and

the magnetic stripe reader determines the unique identifier based on the changes in the magnetic field.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an input device that can be activated by a human operator to provide an operational instruction.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein:

the event monitor will generate an input event code in response to activation of the input device by the human operator; and

in response to receiving the input event code, the event manager will receive the operational instruction from the input device and execute the operational instruction.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the event manager will transmit a message concerning the operational instruction to an output device configured to convey information to the human operator.

17. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the interface comprises a connection to a data communications network; and

the pharmaceutical product database resides on a remote computer system coupled to the data communications network.

18. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the pharmaceutical product database resides in a local memory storage area; and

the interface comprises a data communications path between the event processor and the local memory storage area.

19. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the event monitor will generate a power failure event code in response to a power outage; and

in response to receiving the power failure event code, the event manager will

(i) determine the starting time of the power outage, and

(ii) store the power failure event code and the starting time of the power outage in a status log.

20. The refrigerator of claim 19, wherein the event manager is configured to:

search the status log for the power failure event code; and

if the power failure event code is found in the status log, then transmit a message concerning the power outage to an output device configured to convey information to a human operator.

21. The refrigerator of claim 19, wherein the event manager is configured to:

search the status log for the power failure event code; and

if the power failure event code is found in the status log, then

(i) determine the duration of the power outage based on the starting time of the power outage,

(ii) cause the product identifier to read the signal produced by the pharmaceutical product container to determine the unique identifier,

(iii) search the local database for a time out of refrigeration counter associated with the unique identifier, and

(iv) if the sum of the duration and the time out of refrigeration counter exceeds a specified maximum, then transmit a message concerning the pharmaceutical product container to an output device configured to convey information to a human operator.

22. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an external product identifier which will determine the unique identifier produced by the pharmaceutical product container when the pharmaceutical product container is located outside of the cold storage compartment.

23. The refrigerator of claim 22, further comprising:

a disposal receptacle for the pharmaceutical product container;

wherein said external product identifier will determine the unique identifier produced by the pharmaceutical product container when the pharmaceutical product container is put into the disposal receptacle.

24. A refrigerator for storing pharmaceutical product containers, comprising:

a cold storage compartment;

a product identifier which will acquire a unique identifier produced by a pharmaceutical product container if the pharmaceutical product container is placed into the cold storage compartment;

a local database;

an interface to a pharmaceutical product database comprising a set of details associated with the unique identifier; and

a processor, coupled to the product identifier and the network interface, which will copy the set of details associated with the unique identifier from the pharmaceutical product database to the local database in response to the pharmaceutical product container being placed into the cold storage compartment for a first time.

25. The refrigerator of claim 24, wherein if the pharmaceutical product container was previously removed from the cold storage compartment, then the processor is configured to acquire a current time, retrieve from the local database a previously-recorded removal time for the pharmaceutical product container and calculate a time out of refrigeration value for the pharmaceutical product container based on the current time and the previously-recorded removal time.

26. The refrigerator of claim 25, further comprising:

an output device for conveying information to a human operator;

wherein the processor is further configured to display a message on the output device if the time out of refrigeration value for the pharmaceutical product exceeds a specified maximum time out of refrigeration.

27. The refrigerator of claim 24, wherein the product identifier will acquire the unique identifier produced by the pharmaceutical product container if the pharmaceutical product container is removed from the cold storage compartment.

28. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein if the pharmaceutical product container is removed from the cold storage compartment, then the processor is configured to record a removal time for the pharmaceutical product container and to store the removal time in the local database.

29. The refrigerator of claim 24, wherein, in the event of a power loss, the processor will store in a status log the starting time of the power loss.

30. The refrigerator of claim 29, wherein, upon a correction of the power loss, the processor is further configured to transmit a message concerning the power loss to an output device configured to convey information to a human operator.

31. The refrigerator of claim 29, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the duration of the power loss based on the starting time of the power loss;

cause the product identifier to read the signal produced by the pharmaceutical product container to determine the unique identifier;

search the local database for a time out of refrigeration value associated with the unique identifier; and

if the sum of the duration and the time out of refrigeration value exceeds a specified maximum time out of refrigeration, then transmit a message concerning the pharmaceutical product container to an output device configured to convey information to a human operator.

32. A pharmaceutical product inventory management system, comprising:

a refrigerator having a cold storage compartment, a product identifier that reads a self-identifying signal produced by a pharmaceutical product container, and an event monitor that detects and identifies an event and a unique identifier associated with the pharmaceutical product container based on the presence or absence of the self-identifying signal;

a pharmaceutical product database comprising a set of details associated with the pharmaceutical product container;

a network interface linking the refrigerator to the pharmaceutical product database; and

an event manager, communicatively coupled to the event monitor and the pharmaceutical product database, that retrieves the set of details from the pharmaceutical product database based on the unique identifier and distributes a message concerning the pharmaceutical product container and the event to a human operator;

wherein;

the refrigerator further comprises a local database; and

if the event monitor determines that the pharmaceutical product container is being added to the cold storage compartment for a first time, then the event manager moves a copy of the set of details from the pharmaceutical product database to the local database via the network interface.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the set of details associated with the pharmaceutical product container includes one or more of a product name, a product status, a product use instruction, a product warning, a safety assessment, a manufacturer name, a manufacturing date, an expiration date, a maximum time out of refrigeration, a maximum or minimum storage temperature, a known contraindication, or a current location for the pharmaceutical product container.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein:

the refrigerator further comprises an output device; and

the message is distributed to the human operator via the output device.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the message is stored in a log file.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein the message is distributed to the human operator via the network interface.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein the message is distributed to the human operator via an electronic mail communication.

38. The system of claim 32, wherein the message is distributed to the human operator by publication in an online web page.

39. The system of claim 32, wherein if the event monitor determines that the pharmaceutical product container is being added to the cold storage compartment and that the pharmaceutical product container was previously removed from the cold storage compartment, then the event manager calculates a time out of refrigeration for the pharmaceutical product container based on the set of details in the local database.

40. The system of claim 32, wherein if the event monitor determines that the pharmaceutical product container is being removed from the cold storage compartment, then the event manager will record a removal time in the local database.

41. The system of claim 32, wherein if the event monitor determines, based on the absence of the self-identifying signal, that an inventory threshold for a pharmaceutical product has been breached, then the event manager automatically distributes a message concerning the inventory to the human operator.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the message comprises an indication that the pharmaceutical product container has been removed from the cold storage compartment.

43. The system of claim 32, wherein:

the refrigerator further comprises a temperature sensor that measures the temperature in the cold storage compartment;

the event monitor periodically compares the temperature measured by the temperature sensor to a specified temperature range; and

the event manager distributes an alert to the human operator if the temperature measured by the temperature sensor falls outside the specified temperature range.